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The Data Behind the Model: Gaps and Opportunities for Foundation Models in Brain Imaging

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Foundation Models (FMs) have revolutionized machine learning in medical imaging, yet their application to brain imaging remains limited and fragmented. Despite the availability of diverse and extensive neuroimaging datasets, most FM research has focused narrowly on a handful of tasks, mainly tumor classification and segmentation, while neglecting prevalent neurological disorders such as ADHD and early-stage Parkinson’s disease. In this work, we present the largest and most comprehensive atlas of brain imaging datasets to date, comprising 151 datasets and over 541k volumetric imaging studies across a wide range of modalities and pathologies. Our meta-analysis of 86 brain imaging FMs reveals a disproportionate reliance on structural MRI and a small set of popular datasets, along with critical blind spots in both disease coverage and imaging modalities. We identify systemic challenges, including inconsistent model evaluation protocols, heterogeneous data formats, and limited availability. All of which hinder reproducibility, scalability, and clinical translation. Our publicly available atlases pave the way for more robust, scalable, and clinically meaningful FMs in brain imaging.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFoundation Models for General Medical AI - 3rd International Workshop, MedAGI 2025, Held in Conjunction with MICCAI 2025, Proceedings
EditorsWon-Ki Jeong, Hyunwoo J. Kim, Zhongying Deng, Yiqing Shen, Angelica I Aviles-Rivero, Shaoting Zhang
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages109-119
Number of pages11
ISBN (Print)9783032078445
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 12 Oct 2025
Event3rd International Workshop on Foundation Models for Medical Artificial General Intelligence, MedAGI 2025, Held in Conjunction with the 28th International conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025 - Daejeon, Korea, Republic of
Duration: 27 Sept 202527 Sept 2025

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume16112 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference3rd International Workshop on Foundation Models for Medical Artificial General Intelligence, MedAGI 2025, Held in Conjunction with the 28th International conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CityDaejeon
Period27/09/2527/09/25

Keywords

  • Brain diseases
  • Foundation Models
  • Medical Imaging

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